Iran fires over 100 missiles at Israel in retaliation
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The news: Iran launched over 100 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday evening (Wednesday morning AEST) in retaliation for the assassinations of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, and an Iranian commander.
The context: The attack is a sharp escalation in the Israel-Iran conflict, with air raid sirens sounding across Israel, including in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, according to media reports.
Israeli air defences intercepted many of the missiles and citizens were well-prepared due to advance warnings from the military, which urged the public to stay in fortified shelters after air-raid sirens activated.
There were no immediate reports of casualties from the barrage.
In a separate incident, four people were killed in a shooting in Tel Aviv when two attackers opened fire on Jerusalem Boulevard before being "neutralised" by police at the scene, The New York Times reported.
The US is supporting Israel’s defence, with a US White House official warning a direct attack against Israel would carry “severe consequences” for Iran.
Israeli authorities closed airspace and evacuated southern Lebanon towns. The army, meanwhile, continued its limited incursion into Beirut, targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, including with strikes on buildings near the main road to Beirut's airport and southern suburbs, where smoke and ambulances were seen rushing to the scene.
In Gaza, reports indicated at least 29 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks, Al Jazeera reported.
Oil prices rose 5%, with Brent crude briefly rising above USD75 a barrel ($109.04). Bloomberg reported prices could rally further as speculators who had taken extremely bearish positions ahead of today’s events are forced to unwind their bets.
What they said: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps told Reuters Iran would launch more missiles if Iran were attacked.
Ahead of a press briefing by the US State Department, an unnamed senior White House official had told media that a direct attack against Israel “will carry severe consequences for Iran.”
The sources: Reuters, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Al Jazeera
